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Armstrong faces legal assault from former assistant

A former personal assistant to Lance Armstrong filed court papers on Thursday alleging that he discovered a banned substance in the six-time Tour de France winner's apartment early last year.

Mike Anderson, who is involved in a legal fight with Armstrong over alleged promises the cyclist made to help Anderson start a bike shop, made the claim in a brief filed in state district court. The brief does not say whether Anderson saw Armstrong take any banned substances.

Armstrong, who has won a record six consecutive Tours, has maintained that he is drug-free. The cancer survivor frequently notes he is one of the most drug-tested athletes in the world.

A representative for Lance Armstrong referred all questions to the cyclist's attorney, Timothy Herman, who declined immediate comment because he hasn't seen the brief. Armstrong is in Europe, where he finished 24th in the Paris-Camembert race on Tuesday.

Anderson, who says he had a key to Armstrong's apartment in Girona, Spain, alleges he was cleaning the bathroom in "early 2004" when he found a white box labeled "like any other prescription drug" but that did not have a doctor's prescription attached.

Written on the box was the trademark name "Androstenine, or something very close to this," Anderson said.

"He went to the computer, looked it up on the WADA or USADA Web site[s], and confirmed that what he had found was an androgen, a listed banned substance," Anderson's court brief states, referring to the World Anti-Doping Agency and the US Anti-Doping Agency.

Anderson said he put the box back where he found it. Fearing he would be fired, he said he did not confront Armstrong about it. He said he looked for the box again after Armstrong left Girona to train in the Canary Islands, but didn't find it.

"He was torn about what to do. He's an honest guy opposed to doping in sports," said Anderson's attorney, Hal Gillespie. "[But] he was sure that if he confronted, he would be fired. He's got a wife and young child, no money, and a long way from home."

Gillespie said Anderson did not see Armstrong taking any steroids or other banned substances.

Anderson's brief also said he and Armstrong had a discussion in 2004 about cyclists who dope, and claimed Armstrong told him, "Everyone does it."

Gillespie said that conversation took place before Anderson allegedly found the steroid. The lawyer also said he plans to depose Armstrong.

Anderson said he believes Armstrong knew about the alleged discovery because their relationship began to deteriorate almost immediately.

Anderson said he was working as a mechanic at a local bike store when he met Armstrong more than four years ago. They became friends, often riding together, and Anderson regularly worked on Armstrong's bikes before becoming his personal assistant in November 2002.
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